


walking the sky (one stride at a time)

by live_laugh_read



Category: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2016-01-14
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:55:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5716783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/live_laugh_read/pseuds/live_laugh_read
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker narrowly misses a fall to the Dark Side. However, a hard road lies before him, and the choices he must make are anything but easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Canon Divergence from Revenge of the Sith onwards.

“He _must_ stand trial!”

“He has too much control of the Senate and the courts. He is too dangerous to be kept alive!”

Anakin looked between the two, Jedi and Sith, his heart and mind warring with each other. His heart told him to follow Darth Sidious, but his mind stayed loyal to Mace and the Jedi. He remembered when he had been a slave on Tatooine, yearning to be a Jedi. It had been a long road, but he had achieved his dream.

Was it worth it now, to throw it all away and to bring discord to the galaxy? What would be the consequences for the galaxy he had sworn to protect, if he allowed himself to be lured by the power of cheating death?

Mace raised his saber, and Anakin’s hand went instinctively to the hilt of his own weapon; in the next second, he dropped it again, watching as Master Windu’s saber swept down in a wide arc. Anakin’s choice was made. He watched as the Sith Lord’s head was cleanly severed from his body, before turning away to stumble over to the holo-table and dry-heave.

Breathing hard, his arms resting on the table, he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard Master Windu’s voice behind him. “The choice is always hard, Anakin. In the end, I must be satisfied that I did the best thing I could have done. I am proud of you for standing firm, despite Sidious’ pleadings.”

_You don’t know the choice I had to make_. But Anakin remained calm. “Thank you, Master.”

“You should go,” Windu said. “Get as much rest as you can before tomorrow. The Council — what is left of it — will meet in the morning.” He stood, watching, as Anakin straightened his form, bowed to Windu and strode through the sliding doors and down the corridor beyond.


	2. Faith and Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having chosen the path of right, Anakin's fate is decided by the Council.

The Council Chamber felt emptier than usual, Anakin thought, as he entered, bowed to the assembled Masters and sat. He cast his gaze over the chairs not filled with holograms, or simply empty — Jedi who had fallen the night before. Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin and Kit Fisto. Three Jedi, yet it seemed a very substantial loss to the young man who had narrowly escaped a hard fall.

Mace Windu was speaking. “Jedi Skywalker came to inform me of the information he had just uncovered. I ordered him back here, to remain in the Council Chambers until my return. Accompanied by Masters Kolar, Tiin and Fisto, I returned to the offices of the Chancellor to confront and arrest him. My fellow Masters were cut down by Darth Sidious, and Jedi Skywalker then came on the scene. Sidious attempted to convince him of his need for assistance, but Skywalker stayed true to the Order. In that moment, I determined that Sidious was too powerful to remain alive, and so executed him.”

“Disturbing, this is,” Yoda murmured. Then he looked up. “What did Darth Sidious say to young Skywalker?” 

This was it. The moment of truth.

“I don’t remember much,” Windu admitted. “He simply said he had power beyond Skywalker’s imaginings, and that Skywalker would be his apprentice. I must commend Jedi Skywalker, Grand Master, for his strength in not submitting to the Sith Lord.” 

The Jedi Grand Master turned his attention to Anakin, seated opposite the room. “Jedi Skywalker, it may be that if not for you, Master Windu may not be here today. Restored, the Jedi Council’s faith in you has been. Offer you the rank of Master, we will.” 

Anakin had not been expecting this. He felt conflicted: was this not what he had wanted, ever since joining the Council? And yet, was it right to accept it, given how close he had walked the line between Light and Dark? For so long, he had been a cloaked Grey Jedi. Were Grey Jedi worthy of becoming Masters? 

“Sense conflict in you, I do,” Yoda said. “Think on it, you may. A great decision you must make.” 

In this moment, Anakin decided. He would tell all. 

Rising from his seat, he moved to the centre and cast himself to his knees before the Grand Master. The eyes of the Council were on him, he knew, and he could feel their confusion. “Grand Master Yoda, I must confess. I have strayed from the Code.” And then he spoke, telling them of how he had fallen in love with Padmé, and married her. Of how she had fallen pregnant, and so had begun his descent to the Dark side. Of how Palpatine had attempted to trick him, and make him a Sith Apprentice.

“Masters, I offer no excuse for my behaviour. I feel I cannot accept the rank of Master, because of my actions. I put myself in your hands.”

The Council Chamber was silent for a long time, and Anakin did not dare raise his head. At length, Yoda said, “Honest, you have been. Oversee the younglings’ saber training, you will. Pass judgement on you, the Council will, in the meantime.” 

Anakin stood, bowed once more and left the Chamber. It seemed to him that his boots rang more on the tiles than they ever had, and his anxiety increased. He would have to choose, between Padmé and the Order. Before his confession, he had known that this hard choice would come before him. Now it was there, and he did not know what to do.

In the Council Chamber behind him, the Jedi Masters were deliberating. Not even Obi-Wan Kenobi had known of Anakin’s near-fall, and he mentally berated himself soundly. “Master Kenobi, blame yourself you must not,” Yoda said sadly. “Know nothing, none of us did.” 

“I should have known that something was amiss,” Kenobi argued. “He was spending more time with Senator Amidala than was necessary. I believed it was part of his duty to protect and serve her.” 

Ki-Adi-Mundi looked up. “He came to the Temple at an age older than usual. When he came, he had already learned attachment. He had learned what it is to love. We denied him training, at the first, because of this.” 

“And yet, he has shown that he has powers that many of us could only dream of.” Shaak Ti leaned forward, sweeping the Council with her dark eyes. “His midi-chlorian count is through the roof.”

“Does midi-chlorian count affect one’s ability to commit to the Code, though?” Mace Windu questioned. “It makes him a good Jedi, gives him the ability to commune with the Force, but it does not control his actions.”

Yoda pushed himself out of his seat and walked to the middle, leaning on his staff and looking at the Jedi around him. “A proposal, have I,” he said. “Withdraw our offer of Master to young Skywalker, we will. Take the trials, he will. Join the Order when they are a youngling, his child will.”

“And what of Senator Amidala?” 

The Grand Master pondered this, but before he could speak Shaak Ti broke in. “With due respect, Master Yoda, it cannot be known that one of our own has strayed. Senator Amidala cannot be allowed to bring up her child. The risk is too high.”

A collective gasp echoed around the room, but then Obi-Wan said, “Master Ti is correct. When the child is born, I move that it is taken to Anakin’s relatives on Tatooine — his step-brother Owen Lars, and Owen’s wife. They will raise him there, until it is time for them to enter the Order.”

“Be raised under the twin suns, another Skywalker will,” Yoda ruled. “Put you in charge of this, I do, Master Kenobi.” His gaze rested on the words of the Jedi Code, inscribed around the edge of the circle on the floor. “Come to its judgement, the Council has. Call Skywalker back, we must.” 

Obi-Wan stood. “Master Yoda, I believe it will be better handled if I tell him alone. It is a hard sentence we are handing down, and he will be shamed if it is given to him before the entire Council.” 

“Then go,” Yoda agreed. “Ensure he understands his fate.” 

Obi-Wan bowed, and then turned and left the Chamber. His heart was heavy for the blow he was about to deliver to the young man who was as his own brother. If there were any way this could have been avoided, he would have made certain it was. 

Nearing the training room, where he could hear the hum of small lightsabers, Obi-Wan lifted his chin and set his shoulders. He would not retreat from his duty to the Order. 

The great doors slid open, and the small children who had been practising with the remotes deactivated their sabers with a hiss and bowed as one to Obi-Wan. Anakin had been assisting one child, and he stood and bowed also, and when he straightened Obi-Wan could see the shame, and the fear, in his eyes.

“Younglings, you are dismissed,” Obi-Wan said. “I have matters to discuss with Jedi Skywalker. Ensure that you see the equipment you have used is packed away before you leave.” He motioned to Anakin, who followed him back out into the corridor. The training room doors clanged shut behind them, and Anakin turned to him at once. 

“Master, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you anything. I meant to, then it got beyond me —“

Obi-Wan raised his hand. “I don’t need to know, Anakin. I heard everything when you made your confession in the Council Chamber. I’ve come to tell you what the Council has decided.” Anakin could feel Obi-Wan’s disappointment in the Force, and looked away. Obi-Wan continued, “The offer of ranking you Master has been withdrawn, and you are instead to face the trials to become a fully-fledged Knight. The Council does not bestow this on you lightly.” 

“I understand,” Anakin said, and his voice shook, ever so slightly. “What of Padmé, Master?” 

The older man hesitated. “She will give birth to the child, with full medical attention,” he told Anakin. “However, the baby will be taken to live on Tatooine, with your step-brother and his wife. They will raise him or her until the child is of an age to be accepted by the Order as a youngling.” 

“You mean — Padmé won’t be allowed to raise our child?” 

“It’s too risky,” Obi-Wan said softly. “Not just for her public image, but for the Jedi Order. Think what would happen if it got out that the Jedi’s discipline had failed. There would be full-scale rioting.” 

Anakin bit back a retort. This was the price he must pay for breaking the rules. The Council had been lenient — at worst, he could have been expelled from the Order. 

Obi-Wan wasn’t finished. “You will remain on security detail with Padmé. You know the risks surrounding her, and since you’re married to her you’re probably the best person to protect her. However, no-one will know of your relationship, since it is strictly forbidden. It will be recommended to Padmé that she see a medical droid to receive implantation of contraception.”

“Yes, Master,” Anakin bowed. He and Obi-Wan stared at each other for a moment, eye to eye, before the Master yanked him forward in a rough embrace. 

“I’m glad you didn’t fall,” Obi-Wan said. “It would feel like failure. And it would feel as though I had lost a brother.” 

He drew back as a friendly female voice came over the tannoy of the Jedi Temple. “Jedi Council members are requested to convene straight away. Younglings and Padawans to gather in the Library, with blast doors secured.” 

Obi-Wan and Anakin looked at each other, surprise etched on both of their faces, and without a word, turned and ran back towards the Council Chambers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear readers, 
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos, hits and bookmarks you have given me so far. It inspires me to keep writing.
> 
> I am going away for five nights from the 16/01/2016 to the 22/01/2016, without internet and wifi, so will be unable to post. 
> 
> Apologies, because this will mean a delay in posting, but I promise you during that time I will attempt to get one or two chapters ahead, so when I come back, a chapter or two might be going up. Something to hold out for. 
> 
> Thanks again for your support of this story.


End file.
